Oral Medicine Specialist

Location:  District-wide, primarily Wellington & Kenepuru Community Hospitals

Service:    Dental & Oral Health Service

Contract:  Permanent, part time (up to 32 hours/0.8 FTE)

Salary:      As per ASMS SECA

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is dedicated to serving all New Zealanders. Through integration and collaboration, we’re building a health system underpinned by partnership, equity, sustainability, whānau-centred care, and excellence. 

About the role

Capital Coast’s Oral Medicine Service operates as a sub-speciality within the district’s Dental and Oral Health Service.  The role’s primary focus concerns the oral health care of patients with chronic and medically related disorders of the oral and maxillofacial region, and their diagnosis and non-surgical management. 

The role provides care through outpatient clinics at both Kenepuru and Wellington Hospitals, working closely with our experienced & supportive team.  Currently, the role is structured with one non-clinical administration day and three full clinical days, with outpatient clinics running on these clinical days, though the final weekly structure can be discussed with the candidate. Given the part-time nature of the role, there may be an opportunity for the candidate to take up private work in the district. The role contributes to the teaching of our junior dental workforce and is accompanied in some clinics by one of our dental house surgeons.

About the Team/Service/ Location

The Oral Health Service is staffed by a team of 37 clinical and non-clinical staff, tasked with providing expert care to our specialised patient group. Our team consists of 7 senior dentists, 4 house surgeons (who provide out of hours on call support), clinical and dental technicians, receptionists, dental assistants, a booking clerk and registered nurse. The service is also supported by an oral medicine specialist (this role) & oral surgery specialists.

The service primarily cares for medical inpatients, those needing dental care to proceed with other treatments in the hospital and patients unable to be seen in private due to the complexity of their conditions. The service also provides a limited emergency service for those on a low income, filling a critical gap in accessible care for these patients. All staff work closely together, supporting each other to achieve positive outcomes for patients coming through the service.

The Dental and Oral Health Service provides outpatient general dentistry, oral surgery and oral medicine via dedicated dental clinics and operating theatres at Wellington and Kenepuru Hospitals. Alongside the daily clinics, there are four theatre lists per week at Kenepuru and eight per month at Wellington. Additional sessions are undertaken when theatre space and a provider are available.

Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley district is located centrally in Wellington and has over 6,000 full-time equivalent staff, making us one of the major employers in the Wellington region. We operate three hospitals – Wellington Regional Hospital in Newtown, Hutt Valley Hospital and Kenepuru Hospital in Porirua – as well as the Kāpiti Health Centre at Paraparaumu.

About you

• Must be registered or be eligible for registration as an Oral Medicine Specialist with the Dental Council of New Zealand 
• Hold post-graduate oral medicine qualification 
• Able to provide consistently high standards of medical & dental care
• Broad experience in all branches of general dentistry with at least some background in hospital dentistry or an allied area of dentistry
• Minimal 5 years recent experience post-graduation is an advantage but not essential
• Work in collaboration with multidisciplinary team

Working for Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is ‘the weaving of wellness’. We're dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The Equity Work Programme at Health NZ focuses on helping everyone in the health system think about equity when they do their work. It also promotes the cultural change needed for the whole system to reach equity in health outcomes.

Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Health New Zealand are committed to being good employers and honouring our equal employment opportunity obligations.

How to apply

To apply please click “apply now.” All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ 

If you have any questions about the role, please email sandra.tam@ccdhb.org.nz

We are not accepting recruitment agency’s applicants.